Rangers fire 45 shots on goal but lose to Panthers, 3-1

NEW YORK – Good teams, at least ones with serious playoff aspirations, don’t lose games like this.

“Yeah, I would say so,” goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “We did a lot of good things but it’s getting old. We just have to put the puck in the net, that’s how you win games.”

Thursday night’s 3-1 loss at Madison Square Garden, which snapped a modest, two-game winning streak, came despite a season-high 45 shots against the injury-depleted Panthers, who have the fewest points in the NHL and are missing nine regulars.

Rangers coach John Tortorella insisted this was not a matter of “us overlooking them.”

Still, coupled with the Devils’ win at Carolina, the Rangers (15-13-2) once again tumbled out of a playoff spot to ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

Jacob Markstrom, 23, one of nine players in the Panthers’ lineup Thursday who have played in the AHL this season, came within Marian Gaborik’s goal at 16:12 of the third period of his first shutout in 17 NHL games.

Sometimes the Rangers did not get enough traffic to the net. Sometimes, the 6-foot-6 Markstrom just didn’t give up the rebound.

“I don’t think teams play great all the time, but they find ways to win,” said Lundqvist, who made 21 saves.

“That’s something where we’re lacking a little bit this year. It always helps when you get some good bounces, but you have to earn them.”

The Panthers’ penalty kill is also ranked 30th in the league yet the Rangers went 0-for-3 on the power play with just three shots – and they’re now 0-for-11 with the man advantage over their past six games.

Meanwhile, the Panthers (8-17-6) opened the scoring on Brian Campbell’s power play slap shot through traffic at 8:22 of the first period.

“A big difference tonight is special teams,” Lundqvist said. “If we’re not getting it done on the penalty kill and then we have a tough time to score goals, it’s going to be a tough one for us. … Special teams is going to be crucial down the stretch. The penalty kill, starting with me, almost has to be 100 percent because we don’t have the luxury of a lot of goals.”

At least Lundqvist was able to put his frustration into words.

Center Brad Richards, who had three shots in 21:03 and is now scoreless in his past six games, told two reporters who approached him at his locker he didn’t have much to say. When asked if it was because he was angry, Richards responded, “More lost and confused.”

“I don’t think it’s confusion,” added Gaborik, Richards’ linemate, about the Rangers’ state of mind. “We have to have these games. That’s the bottom line.”

Gaborik snapped his seven-game goal drought by taking a feed from Rick Nash, skating to the crease and beating Markstrom with a backhander. Gaborik took a game-high eight shots.

“We generated a lot of chances, we had a lot of shots on net,” Gaborik said.

“Definitely, I think we were a better team. We just didn’t execute.”

Tortorella had a similarly succinct conclusion.

“We need another big play at a key time and we’re just not getting them consistently enough,” Tortorella said.

Scottie Upshall scored the winner at 4:28 of the second period as he swiped at the puck through a mass of bodies at the crease, with the shot blooping over Lundqvist. It was Upshall’s second goal of the season.

Jack Skille created the play, going into the left corner and emerging with the puck, which he took to the net for an initial shot.

“I didn’t pick up any of the goals,” Lundqvist said. “Coming up short again, it’s definitely a little frustrating in here.”